On Friday (Sept. 27), Tee Grizzley blessed the masses with his new single "Blow for Blow," a surprise collaboration with J. Cole. What made the track even more special was that it was produced by Pi’erre Bourne, which provided the perfect backdrop for some of the duo's hardest bars to date.
"Blow for Blow" was accompanied by a Jerry Production-directed visual that brought viewers to New York City. There, Tee Grizzley and Cole performed from various locations, including a stairwell, a rooftop, and a warehouse.
While Tee Grizzley more than held his own, Cole received resounding praise for what's become a string of impressive, spotlight-stealing features. "J. Cole is rhyming like prime Eminem over trap bangers with Tee Grizzley," wrote a Twitter user. "S**t is not normal."
As expected, some made mention of the North Carolina emcee's short-lived involvement in the highly publicized rap battle with Drake and Kendrick Lamar. "J. Cole rapping has been immaculate, now imagine just how incredible these verses would sound had he just held his own in the beef," wrote another.
As REVOLT previously reported, Lamar set off a firestorm with an appearance on Future and Metro Boomin's "Like That," which contained a barbed response to Drake and Cole's "First Person Shooter."
"Motherf**k the big three, n**ga, it's just big me!" the Compton talent declared. In response, Cole dropped "7 Minute Drill," which attacked Lamar's credibility and discography. Two days after that release, he denounced his own diss song on stage at Dreamville Fest. "7 Minute Drill" was subsequently removed from platforms.
Since then, Cole has been making a slow and steady return to everyone's rotation via appearances on cuts like Cash Cobain's "Grippy," Tems' "Free Fall," ASAP Rocky's "Ruby Rosary," and Daylyt's "A PLATE OF COLLARD GREENS." He's also said to be putting the final touches on his long-awaited The Fall Off LP.
Check out some additional responses to Tee Grizzley and J. Cole’s "Blow for Blow” below.